Projects focused on building research capacity to enable epidemiological and implementation research and capacity building of implementers to scale-up innovations and promote quality improvement.
The Primary Health Care Transformation Committee (PHCTC) is a learning collaborative in KwaZulu-Natal that drives health system reform to strengthen Primary Health Care (PHC) and revitalise Community-Oriented Primary Care (COPC). Established in 2018 through a partnership between the KwaZulu-Natal Department of Health and UKZN’s Centre for Rural Health, the PHCTC promotes evidence-based decision-making and shared learning to improve people-centred health services.
Development and evaluation of a targeted, integrated, coherent and people-centred approach to the management of multimorbidity in South African primary healthcare
The ENHANCE study aims to co-produce and evaluate a scalable health system intervention to improve care for people living with multiple long-term conditions (MLTCs) in South Africa. It seeks to balance clinical evidence with patient needs, community preferences, and local health system realities. The project is a collaboration between UKZN, King’s College London, and the Knowledge Translation Unit at the University of Cape Town.
Nutrition disorders remain a major health challenge in sub-Saharan Africa, contributing to poor maternal and child health outcomes. There is a shortage of skilled nutrition researchers and academic leaders able to generate evidence to guide nutrition policy and practice in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) and Tanzania.
Despite major scientific advances, the translation of research evidence into effective health interventions remains limited—particularly in resource-constrained settings in Africa. Strengthening capacity in implementation science (IS) is essential to bridge the gap between evidence and real-world practice for HIV, infectious diseases, and other global health challenges.
Addressing the Research Capacity Gap in Global Child, Adolescent & Family Health Disparities Utilizing Implementation and Data Sciences among Vulnerable Populations in Resource-limited Settings (ACHIEVE)
Health disparities affecting children, adolescents, and their caregivers remain a persistent challenge globally, particularly in low- and middle-income countries (LMICs). There is a critical shortage of clinician-scientists and researchers with expertise in dissemination and implementation (D&I) and data science who can translate evidence-based interventions into real-world settings. This gap is especially evident across sub-Saharan Africa (SSA), where the disease burden is high and research capacity remains limited.
The African Paediatric Fellowship Programme (APFP) at the University of KwaZulu-Natal’s Department of Paediatrics and Child Health builds Africa’s capacity to deliver high-quality child health services. The programme trains paediatric healthcare professionals who return to their home countries to strengthen local paediatric care, education, and leadership.
